Fog-signal.



No. 861,786. PATENTED JULY 30, 1907. T. L. WILLSON.

' FOG SIGNAL.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 2, 1906.

INVENTOR:

WITNESSES M M I By Afzomeys,

UNITED sra ns TO INTERNATIONAL MARINE SIGNAL PORATION OF CANADA.

rnn'r nine.

srennnn'rs, AIDA, A non- ANADA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AS LlMl'TED, OF OTTAWA, CAN

FO G-SIGNAL.

Application filed Sep To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, TnoM the King of Great Britain, Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain 5 new and useful Improvements in Fog-Signals, of which the following isa specification. In mechanical fog signals for light-ships, buoys, or other locations on land or sea, it is customary to use a steam engine, steam being generated in. a, boiler and being admitted at intervals to a whistle or siren, or other sound-intensifying device, and a portion of the steam being used to run an engine which controls the operation of the whistle or the like. Or an engine is some times used to compress air in a reservoir and admit the 15, air at intervals to a horn or the like for operating the same.

I propose-to eliminate a great part of the expense of the aforesaid apparatus, and to simplify the operation by wing the exhaust of an engine to ive the signal. 2 Preferably an internal combustioncngine is used, and

the products of combustion are exhausted at approximatel y the instant when the maximum explosive force is generated, the gases passing into a megaphone or a Whistle or othersoulid-intensifying or directing device. In this way approximately or substantially all the power of the engine is directed to the production of the signal, the adjustment being such that the residual power is only suificient to run the engine. .l.hc regular running of the-engine preferably includes the operation of mechanism for varying the direction toward which the sound is projected, as by rotating or oscillating the entire engine.

The. accompanying drawin ment of the invention. Figure l is a perspective View of a single cylinder gas or gasolene engine with a megaphone attached; Fig. 2 is a sectional View of a whistle attached to a similar engine; Fig. 3 is a plan illustrating a mechanism for r(.*.gu larly and slowly oscillating the entire engine to vary- 0 the direction of the sound; Fig. 4. is a sectional view through the cylinder, being more or less diagrammatic so as to show the relative positions of all the parts at the same instant.

AS L. \VILLsoN, a subject of residing at Ottawa, in the gs illustrate an embodi- Rcfcrring to the (unhodiment illustrated, A is the cylinder of the engine, in. which isthc piston ii driving and crank shafts l.) and l) carrying fly-Wheels 1st valve, the latter cranks F. (l is the inlet and ll the cxhai being opened at a prcdotorminod instant by means oi a lcverJ driven from an eccentric K on the shaft L, which -is opcralxad at hall the speed of the crank shaft 1).

By adjusting the angle of tho occontrir: K, the point at which tho exhaust valyo ll will open is determined. This is an ordinary typo ol' four-(:yclo engine in which Ordinarily the full form-v of the expansion is utilized I Specification of Letters Patent.

tember 2,1905. Serial No. 276,811.

.little power, and may be operated I) It and S engaging rcspc Patented July 30,1907.

to drive the piston B downward, after which the exhaust valve is openwl and the return. of the piston by the fly whe ls expcls the gasos of combustion; the

' yivhocls again carrying the piston down and sucking in fresh explosive mixture through inlet valve then compressing this mixture, whereupon a spark passes between the terminals of the sparker C and the explosion takes place again and the cycle is repeated. In the present case, however, I have shown the valve II open. when the piston B is near the top of its compressing stroke and has just started dowmvard. It may be 6 opened a little earlier or a little later, the time being readily determinable by experiment so as to secure the greatest noise. The greatestlorce of the expansion is expended in driving the gases through the exhaust Valve and through the megaphone M which directs and also intensifies the noise. The proportions and timing of the parts however are such as to leave a ccrtain residuum of power sufiicient to continue the i'novcmont of the lly wheels, and also to operate the d ircction-varying mechanism hereinafter described when such a 75 mechanism is used. V

The explosion described makes a very loud noise indcorhand one which is most adapted to carry a long distance. in fog. It is not essential to use the megaphone M or any equivalent device, it being only nhc- 3O essary to proportion. the engine so as to get the maxi.- mum noise-producing effect from the exhaust, the mattor of power being entirely sccomlary. Or instead of the megaphone M, a whistle, such as the ordinary steam whistle N -Fig. 2, may be applicd'to the exhaust port O, or in fact any other sounder 0r sound-intensifying device may he so applied.

Various mechanisms may be used for changing the direction of the signal at intervals. These require very y the engine without interfering with its function as a noise producer.

As an example, the base P may be rovolubly mounted upon a fixed base Q, and turned first in one direction and then in the other by means of mutilated pinions ctively and alternately teeth T and U, the pinions being mounted on vertical shafts VW driven by worm-gea ing from the crank shafts D E; and the teeth being formed on the fixed base Q. When the engine. has swung around in the direction of the arrow X, Fig. 3, for a distance corresponding to the number of teeth on the pinion R, it will rest form intcrval and thou swing in the opposite dirhction, as indiratcd by the arrow Y, under the control of the pinion S.

Though I have described with great particularity of detail certain specific embodim nts of the it 'cntion, yet it is not to be understood therefrom that the invention is limited to the particularembedinn'uls disciosed. Various modifications thereof in (iOLLHl, and in the an rangement and comhination of the parts, may he made by those skilled in tlie art, without departure from the invention.

What}; I claim is.. 1. A signaling apparatus fififlllpt'lsllig an a cylinder with an exhaust valve, a piston reeiproeating in said cylinder and compressing a gas therein, means for exploding the eo npressed gas. and means. connected with said piston to! opening said valve at. the moment when the lll'tk :lmliOXilllztttflfgll ,th'epower 0t tine engine is directed to the prmluetiomol anghndihle signalv the residual power heing only sutlieienhlu return the piston and continue the engine in: operation.

'12. A signaling engine having; a cylinder with an exhanst \alve and a piston reeiproL-ated hy the explosion of the tll'lilllL'f littrillulll and serving to compress medium in the {grlintleiu and means connected with said piston t'or exhausting at. approximately the genemtion of maximum explosive t'oree. whereinlil:tl(l all the power of the engine is direeted to the pro (lat-lion of an tllltlllllt signal, tlwresidual power being: only sutlicient to continue the engine in operation.

approxiengine having.

we in .the cylinder is generated whereby instant oi 1 matically to expend in noise all the. force oithe explosion the driving 3 except just enough to run the engine without an loatt thereon.

t. A signaling apparatus inelnding in eomhination an enginethe exhaust of which utilized in signal in a determined ilireetion. and means tor automatically turning said engine to direvt the signal to (lit't'en ent points. I

A 'sgna. apparatus ini'huling in eonihiuation an en 10 operated h explosion of the dririne' medium and having an exhaust valve arranged to open at the moment when the greate noise-proglueing tort-e is generated. means't'or directing: said noise. and means for automatically oscillating said engine eontiniu'ntsly.

in witness whereof, i have hereunto signed my name in the pi'esenee of two 'suhst'rihing witnesses.

THOMAS L. \YllllhlONv making; the 

